In April, the Legislature redressed the mauling death of Mrs. Stiles and other dog–attack victims, such as Cheryl Marie Floyd, 17, of Houston, by enacting one of the nation’s toughest dangerous dog laws - named Lillian’s Law in memory of Mrs. Stiles.
The new Texas statute goes into effect today. It holds pet owners criminally responsible if their dog kills or injures a person in an unprovoked attack. The dog’s owner could face second–degree felony charges and up to 10 years in state prison if convicted.
Does Lillian’s Law finally mean closure for the Stiles family?
“It’s hard to answer,” said Marilyn Stiles Shoemaker, Mrs. Stiles’ daughter.
Jack Stiles, 77, lost his high school sweetheart and wife of 55 years in the nightmarish dog attack on Nov. 26, 2005. He said for him closure has yet to be reached. Stiles wants to see how effective the law will be in reducing unprovoked dog attacks.
“If we have any dog attacks in Milam County and we have a trial, I want to go to that trial just to see how well the law is developing,” Stiles said. “Or anywhere in Texas, I want to see if there is any difference with people and their understanding.”
The indictment of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, charged with operating a dog–fighting ring, has heightened the need for laws to protect people from dangerous dogs, Stiles said.
State Rep. Dan Gattis, R–Georgetown, who wrote Lillian’s Law, said Jack Stiles and Marilyn Shoemaker were “probably the most instrumental of anyone in getting . . . the people to come together and support the law we ultimately were able to pass.”
Stiles and his daughter testified at hearings in the House and Senate, stayed in contact and pounded a beat in the Texas Capitol visiting with lawmakers and their staffs promoting passage of Lillian’s Law, Gattis said.
Television cameras captured the family cheering section - hushed by Capitol protocol into victorious sign language - when some watered–down amendments were vetoed. The Stiles family was ever present in House and Senate galleries through all phases as the bill progressed into law.
“We are very happy to have accomplished that with the Stiles family,” Gattis said. “I just hate (that) it took a situation of losing a wonderful lady in our community to getting everybody together and getting this done, but I’m glad we were able to accomplish what we did.”
The Stiles family looked beyond their personal grief in 2005 to see the tragic experiences of others who suffered from dog attacks.
“We knew right away that the laws were inadequate, that something needed to be done,” Mrs. Shoemaker said. “You hear all the time about people getting attacked, and you think somebody needs to do something. We felt like we were the ones that needed to do something and get things going.”
Taking the $2,500 in memorial gifts from her mother’s death, Mrs. Shoemaker founded Texas Families Against Dangerous Dogs, or TXFADD, a statewide organization to unite dog attack victims and rally for tough criminal penalties for irresponsible dog owners. A Web site spread the word and brought together victims and supporters, as well as identified opponents.
At the Legislature’s 2006 special session on finance, Mrs. Shoemaker steadfastly walked the halls and talked to people in the Capitol. Later, when Stiles retired, he joined his daughter as lobbyists for passage of Lillian’s Law. They faced opposition with remarkable aplomb, often winning adversaries to their side.
Stiles and his daughter believe their grim determination to win passage of the law and the publicity that emerged nationwide has yielded favorable results.
“Have you noticed that there hasn’t been as many pit bull attacks on individuals, and the law is not even in effect?” Stiles said.
“I think it is already making a difference,” Mrs. Shoemaker said. “People are really taking notice about it. The law goes after the irresponsible dog owner that has no regard to the people around them and just let their dog do whatever.”
Mrs. Stiles, 76, was tending to plants in the couple’s front yard when she was attacked and mauled to death by a pack of pit bull terriers and Rottweilers. The dog’s owner was indicted on a criminally negligent homicide charge and fined for failure to have his pets vaccinated against rabies.
The family, though still grieving, is coping and has depended on their faith in God to carry them through, Stiles said.
“We are Christians, and we have a very strong faith,” Mrs. Shoemaker said. She and her father completed a Christian–based grief counseling course, but “sometimes it’s hard to understand,” she said. “I have told God I would always give Him the praise and glory no matter what happens.”
Stiles agreed, adding, “It’s tough, I tell you.”
In late August, months before the calendar reaches the two–year anniversary of Stiles’ death, the yard where she died pays tribute to a woman who lovingly garnished each corner of the yard with plants, shrubs, birdbaths and small statues. Birds sing, butterflies flit from blossom to blossom, and a family of black–and–white kittens wrestle on the grass. Stiles gestures around the green and shady retreat, where two empty metal chairs stand side–by–side.
“This was all Lillian’s work,” he said.
